


who are you (the twilight i'll never forget)

by glaukostella



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Humor, Kimi no Na wa AU, M/M, has markmin but not rlly the main otp As You Can See, tagged hyungline chars are just cameos, that prev tag says it all tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-24 14:37:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13215873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glaukostella/pseuds/glaukostella
Summary: In which Mark is a trainee living in the city, seeking peace outside of his home, and Donghyuck, a boy dreaming of being in the urban, were connected to each other with a string of fate.





	who are you (the twilight i'll never forget)

**Author's Note:**

> hello! first off, i would like to apologize to the mods of the ficfest this was supposed to be posted in. i'm really sorry as i lost the draft to this, but here we are with the whole thing. thank you for those who waited in patience, i hope this fic would be ok for u. especially to you, b, my fellow writer friend, for being with me throughout the entire journey of writing this.
> 
> like movie, like fic; this has plotholes. thank u, and enjoy!

_The red string of fate that binds us. What was it? What were we?_

 

_Who are you?_

 

* * *

 

Bustling through the usual crowd full of students, older men and women wearing business suits, Mark adjusted his navy blue scarf up his face walking at a fast pace. He arrived before the edge of the platform, waiting for the train to come.

It was one of those days where the unknown was bugging him at the back of his mind; loneliness, longing for someone he doesn’t even know.

_Ten years ago… what happened?_ He asked himself, chuckling sadly as it always ends up the same; gazing at the palm of his hand thoughtlessly. His chest surging with pain as he tries but failing to remember.

The sound of metal screeching against the rails snapped him out of his thoughts. Mark always ends up daydreaming amidst the chattering people, lost in his own world of hazy memories.

As the doors opened before him, he saw a man adorning a scarf with a beautiful shade of red that complements his chestnut-coloured hair, looking like he was in a hurry to leave. Their eyes met for a brief second before the stranger looked down, trying to avoid anyone’s gaze at him.

Mark didn’t heed him any attention as he stuffed the lower part of his face into his own scarf.

The noisy chatters and the sound of pairs of heels clacking across the floor around him grew mute until the only sounds he could hear made him halt in his footsteps.

_The tinkling sounds of a bell._

A wave of nostalgia hit Mark right in his head, his eyes turning to look at his hand on reflex. He felt overwhelmed; adrenaline rushed throughout his entire body. Before he even realized, he began searching for the stranger.

He made his way against the current of people scurrying into the train, bumping into them while muttering strings of apologies left and right.

Only to for him to see a blurry vision of a silhouette wearing a cherry red scarf going farther away from him. He let out a shaky breath, trying to calm himself down. The cold air around him comforted his unknown loss.

Once again, Mark has missed his train.

 

 

 

 

“-ark.” Two taps on his cheek. Cars and vehicles alike speeding through the streets.

“Mark.” Two taps on his shoulder. Tall buildings of gray and dark colours towering over the paved sidewalks.

“Mark!” And with that, Mark groans.

His eyes barely opening to the sound of his brother’s attempts of waking him up. It’s not like this was the first time it happened either.

“If I hadn’t thought of visiting to check up on you, you’d be as good as dead sleeping on your bed.” Taeyong huffed incredulously.

“Well then, I commend you for being the best brother I could ever have. Now let me get dressed up and leave.”

“I will, after you go.” His brother answered back while picking up the clothes scattered around his bed.

Mark was clearly distressed. this wasn’t an unusual sight. ‘ _I_ _don’t have time to clean up my room!’_ was his excuse until Taeyong started smacking the back of his head every time he says so.

Finally getting out of his bed, Mark snatched the pile of clothes from Taeyong’s arms before nudging his brother out of his room.

“Not without a kiss!” He complained and Mark begrudgingly did so on the cheek.

“Send me a message the moment you arrive at school, okay?” Taeyong softly patted on Mark’s bed hair, smiling as his younger brother nodded.

After successfully forcing Taeyong out of his apartment, he leaned onto the door with the corners of his lips threatening to turn upwards. Mark didn’t mind the nagging Taeyong does to him, as the older one acted the roles of his parents from when they were younger.

But even with Taeyong’s unconditional support and love for him doesn’t stop him from feeling the isolation he dreads of.

The ringtone of his phone resonated across his room, signalling that his time to fix himself has decreased drastically before his first class.

 

 

 

 

_Sounds of birds chirping and rustling leaves from the autumn trees could be heard around him. No vehicles speeding down the roads as if they’re in a race, no loud music blasting along the sidewalks of chattering youths, no blinding neon lights from nightclubs signs._

_No anything._

 

Mark has been longing to escape from the stress. from everything the city has to offer him. He knew very well he couldn’t do such. But if the divinity gives him an opportunity knocking right by his door, expect him to blast right through it.

Outside their dance studio, Mark was sitting on the floor with his earphones on. He sighs, closing his eyes to feel the beat of the music playing. He felt someone tap him on the shoulder, making him startle awake.

“Hey, it’s just me.” Seeing who the intruder was, Mark calmed immediately. “Yeah, it’s you.” He smiled back while removing his earbuds.

“You seem stressed. Are you alright? Is something bothering you at school?” Jaemin’s eyebrows furrowed in worry, offering his hand to Mark. The latter looked away to hide the blush forming on his cheeks.

“I, uh, I’m okay. Everything’s good.” Mark reassured. “Thanks for the concern though.” He took Jaemin’s hand to stand up off the floor.

Jaemin poked his side while Mark was dusting off his clothes. “I’m supposed to. Friends help each other out, right?” Mark smiled at his optimism.

_This is why I seem to like you so much._  

“Let’s go to practice. We shouldn’t be wasting time out here.” Jaemin placed his arm around Mark’s shoulder before dragging him along into the room.

 

 

 

✫彡

That night, when he thought no one was listening, Mark wished that everything was different. The twinkling stars up in the night sky seemed to think so otherwise.  

 

 

 

_Words were spoken with an unfamiliar accent. Vehicles passed by him in a blur, towering buildings all around him. Was he in the city?_

Sunlight was seeping through the tiny gaps of the curtains hanging from the windows. A bed too soft, too comfortable for his liking. But he didn’t mind, continuing to nap some more. Until loud music blasted right beside him, causing him to fall off.

Groaning, he slowly opened his eyes. Not registering the room he was in wasn’t his. He turned off the alarm in the midst of its blaring. He kicked aside the blankets, exposing his thighs of fair complexion.

He started feeling himself. Last time he checked, he wasn’t that tall nor big down there. He doesn’t remember having pale skin either.

Immediately, he got up to rush into the bathroom, which he knew where it was located weirdly enough, thinking he wasn’t himself. He gasped.

Staring into his reflection, Donghyuck definitely wasn’t himself. Doe eyes, thin face, a nose tiny bit sharper than his. Not as handsome as he was, or so he thought.

_It’s all just a dream. This can't be real._ He chanted inside his mind trying to convince himself.

He let out a shaky breath before turning the faucet on. He decides to live on as the beautiful boy inside his dream, for now, for today, for as long as he can.

_To finally fulfill his dream of living in the city._

Only the running water from the faucet could be heard within the walls of the apartment.

 

 

 

 

_Is this what is feels like getting sucked into the void? He reaches out, desperate to grab on to something, on to someone. Before he loses them again._

“ _Donghyuck!”_

 

He jolted awake in cold sweat. A bad dream. For as long as he was aware, he rarely dreamt.

Once he calmed down, he took in the view of his surroundings. No clothes scattered in sight; all were either hung or folded neatly in a corner. Beige-coloured walls were adorned with colourful ornaments and pictures. Putting his observations in a single statement: this wasn’t his bedroom.

The door to his room suddenly opened, revealing an blond boy who looks a few years younger than him. “Donghyuck-hyung, you’re going to be late for school again.”

“Donghyuck-hyung?”

The kid who claims to be his younger brother looked at him dead in the eyes. “Yes, unfortunately you’re my older brother. Now, could you please hurry up before grandpa kicks both of us in the ass?” He rolled his eyes.

A faint call of ‘ _Jisung’_ could be heard from outside. Rolling his eyes again, Jisung dashed away but not before giving his older brother a look.

_Who’s Donghyuck? I have a younger brother named Jisung? Taeyong-hyung didn’t tell me we had an illegitimate sibling._

Dozens of questions ran inside Mark’s mind. His head was spinning with confusion until he spotted a mirror at the side.

Slowly approaching his reflection, he was staring back right at a boy with golden tan skin.

“Who am I?” Mark whispered to himself.

 

 

 

✫彡

A bizarre dream; that’s what it was for the two boys whose lives were tightly entangled with each other.

 

Their story written by destiny.

 

 

 

During the first time, Donghyuck woke up to the familiar walls of his room, saying to himself how awfully absurd his dream was.

Vivid; he felt the concrete walls of the apartment, the lighted signs at the train station, and he would never forget the view of the commercial buildings he passed by.

He also remembered eating lunch with his friends, spending tons of money (which he didn’t know why he had in his wallet) on different pastries.

Though there was one thing bugging him at the back of his mind. His friends didn’t refer to him as ‘Donghyuck,’ didn’t they?

It was a different name, but what was it?

Or rather, _who?_

“Me. Jisung, your loveliest little brother?” a voice answered by his door.

Realizing that he vocallized his thoughts out loud, he shouted at Jisung to get out.

“Yeah, thought so. ‘Least you’re not being weird touching your face again.”

“I did?” Donghyuck internally rummaged through his memories, trying to recall. Jisung had a sneaky grin on his face.

“Yeah, as if you’ve never had a face as ugly as yours,” the younger snickered.

“You little—!” Jisung stuck his tongue out before escaping his older brother’s wrath.

He did successfully manage to catch his younger later that morning, both of them out breath with Donghyuck ruffling Jisung’s hair, smiling fondly at him.

 

 

 

 

For several mornings now, Mark has been waking up with writings either on his face or arms with him trying to recollect his memories the day before but failing as he couldn’t.

This morning was not an exception.

 

‘ _What’s your name?’_ written neatly on his arm.  Mark already washed it off, but he can’t seem to stop looking at the spot on his arm where it was written.

“You alright? You seem to be dozing off a lot these days.” Renjun awoke him from his trance.

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah.” Mark answered with a half-hearted smile. Renjun made a noise of disagreement.

“You don’t really look like it. Last week, you were so smiley. Like this,” he mimicked whatever he thought Mark looked like when he’s smiling, but it ended up looking terrifying. For Mark himself, at least.

“Stop that. You look ridiculous.” Mark knew, because he would never smile that hard to make his face look like whatever Renjun did.

“I’m serious! You greeted everyone with a smile, even when coach scolded you for missing a step, you just beamed at him before bowing and going ‘I’ll do my best next time!’”

Renjun slowly inched towards Mark, with the latter slowly inching away as much,

“You never looked so happy being told off for making a mistake.”

He leaned in, dramatically pausing before whispering into Mark’s ear.

“Was that bubbly persona really you?” Renjun laughed at the older’s frightened expression before passing it off as a joke.

The next morning, Taeyong laughed at his little brother for looking horrible as he had difficulties in sleeping a wink thinking the whole night.

 

 

 

 

Usually, Donghyuck morning routine consists of getting ready for school (bickering a little bit with his brother), going to school (meeting up with Chenle on the way), and finally, dozing off during classes.

He would usually doodle or scribble on his journal, pretending to listen during lectures. Opening his journal, he saw unfamiliar writings scattered around the page. Most of them were ‘complimenting’ his previous sketches (which is pleasantly weird and oddly vain for him) and the rest were… _poetry?_

Donghyuck tilted his head to the side, confused. He has never written words with such deep meaning and complicated structures.

Reading more, he recognizes it was about a budding romance. _Someone must be confessing to him,_ he blushed. Donghyuck closed the journal with a thud, only to realize that he had eyes of the whole class on him, including their teacher.

Mr. Jung cleared his throat.

Donghyuck could only pray and gulp. He straightened his posture and looked up front.

“Is there any problem, Mr. Lee?”

He shook his head. “No, sir.”

Mr. Jung grinned before picking up his paperwork. “Then you may have your break.”

Donghyuck relaxed into his seat. “Chenle.”

“What’s up?” He heard him respond from the back. “Except for your ass almost getting detention from Mr. Jung, _again._ ”

Donghyuck groaned, resting his head on his arms. “If it weren’t for your stupid writings on my notebook, maybe I wouldn’t have been called out. That wasn’t cool.”

Chenle pulled his chair and placed it beside Donghyuck’s table. “What writings? You never let me read your journal.”

His head shot up towards Chenle’s direction. “What? So it wasn’t you?”

“It wasn’t me?” Chenle squinted his eyes suspiciously at his best friend. “You’ve been acting so weird these days. Is something going on at home?”

“No!” Donghyuck raised his voice by accident, following up in a softer volume, “No, what do you mean?”

“Well, except for the fact that you kicked Taeil’s ass for making fun of your dad, I guess you’ve been pretty weird for a long time now,” Chenle stroked his chin while nodding to himself, ignoring Donghyuck’s flails of surprise.

Donghyuck pulled his hair out of frustration. “I don’t remember doing that at all!”

As Chenle was recalling the whole thing in detail, Donghyuck was crying out for him to stop. (He didn’t stop, he even showed him the video recording which Donghyuck could have gotten them both in trouble, if not restrained.)

 

 

 

 

That beautiful boy wasn’t just in his dreams. Memories of living the life of that beautiful boy were definitely not just the dreams he thought he was having.

His thinning wallet and the booming amount of confession letters he was receiving on his desk were some of the first things he noticed. It wasn’t until Jaemin came up to him to personally thank him for the advice (that he totally doesn’t remember saying) he gave him the day before.

 

_“It really cleared up the misunderstandings in my family. I’m really grateful for you,_ ” _Jaemin enthusiastically half-hugged him, in which Mark was internally fawning._

 

“So you.. Just went along with it?” Renjun asked. The two of them were practicing their choreography late at night.

“I had no choice! He looked so happy for me to kill his joy.” Mark trailed off seeing the sneaky signature snaggletooth smile on Renjun’s face.

He threw his towel at him. “Plus, you know how he is when he smiles,” Mark had a dreamy look in his eyes.

Renjun’s face crumpled in disgust, throwing the sweaty towel to the side. “At least your sweetness to everyone else has been paying off, or should I say your alter ego?” He made smooching sounds, mocking the older.

Mark frowns. “I already told you before, it isn’t me. You would know if it was really me.” Renjun stared at him to see if he was telling the truth.

“Then who is it?” His best friend asked in a genuine voice.

Mark was also curious to know, and he was desperate to find a way to contact this boy in his ‘dreams.’ (possibly thanking him for what happened with Jaemin as well.)

 

 

 

 

✫彡

Somehow along the way, both boys were satisfied with their lucid realities.

 

 

 

“Mr. Lee, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this,” Donghyuck stood stiffly.

Hours before, he was minding his own business until Johnny, Mr. Jung’s class pet (or so he heard), passed by their classroom only to tell him that Mr. Jung was calling for him to his office,

 

_“He said something along the words of ‘his records these past few weeks are.. I need to talk to him.’”_

 

Johnny even reenacted the whole scene with gestures exactly what Mr. Jung normally does, which could only mean it was the real deal for Donghyuck and whatever his records are this time.

Mr. Jung was scanning the paper in his hand, in which Donghyuck assumed was his scores.

“You, Donghyuck, have been…”  He paused, still looking over the file.

Donghyuck pursed his lips in anticipation, expecting to be scolded at, or worse—detention.

“—doing impressive in my class. You’ve been scoring very high on our tests for quite a while now. I just want to let you know that you’re doing great and keep up at it!”

_What?_

“I noticed you weren’t fond of the English language so I was worried you weren’t catching up with the lessons when we began this semester, but it looks like you’re back on the track.” Mr. Jung clasped his hands together, looking proud.

Donghyuck touched his nape shyly. “Thank you, Mr. Jung.”

At the back of his mind, he’s been wanting to strangle two people: Johnny, for making him worry for nothing, and _him,_ for making everything worse.

After Mr. Jung dismissed him, he opened his notes on his phone and starts typing aggressively on a new page.

_You!!!! How will I cover this up now??? Mr. Jung has expectations for me to do well in his class now. What will I do when you’re not me?!?!? [insert excessive amounts of crying emojis]_  

He sighs, closing the draft before scrolling through the memos.

It was the only way for him and Mark to communicate, since somehow, contacting each other through messaging was not working for them, Mark thought of typing and listing out the things they have done throughout the entire duration of managing the other’s life.

Or so Mark called, _damage control,_ Donghyuck snorted. _City boys._

One of the first notes Mark left for Donghyuck was telling him to not spend so much on buying food at cafés, which Donghyuck pouted at.

“Cakes in the city are delicious, how can I not buy them? It’s like you’re asking me not to blink,” He muttered petulantly.

On his way home, Donghyuck couldn’t help but look back how Mark looked through the reflection; He wondered how different it would be to see him right in front him, and not on a mirror. Would he be as tall as he’s been seeing? Would his eyes light up the way it does when sunlight hits his face?

He could only imagine.

 

 

 

 

_Hey, I just want to thank you for..._

_Does that sound too formal?_ Mark scrunched his nose lightly before erasing what he typed.

_You’re ridiculously good in singing._  

_Too straightforward, it might feed his ego to use his money more,_ he sighed and closed his phone, staring at the recording equipment in front of him.

Earlier that morning, Mr. Nakamoto came into the room while Mark was practicing alone. He scuffled from the floor to greet his vocal coach.

“Good morning, coach. You’re pretty early today,” Mr. Nakamoto waved his hand, disregarding his student’s comment.

“I’ve always been an early bird, what are you on about?” He made a _tch_ sound, before smiling lopsidedly. “Anyway, I didn’t come here to hear _my_ student insult me.” Mr. Nakamoto rolled his eyes playfully.

“Your voice evaluation has been pretty up to par with your rap one. How have you been doing it?” Not knowing how to answer, Mark looked like a deer in headlights.

“Uh, practicing with Renjun?” His coach’s mouth formed an ‘o.’

“The vocal techniques you’ve used were spot-on. Maintain your evaluation scores, and you may have a chance at debuting with your best bro.” Mr. Nakamoto winked, patting on Mark’s shoulder as he went away.

And so the doe-eyed boy has been typing and re-typing on his phone, unsure of what to say to Donghyuck.

Before he went to sleep, he typed into his phone with a fond sigh, setting it on his bedside cabinet.

_Thank you._

_You can eat as much cakes you want, so long as you don’t burn a hole into my wallet._

 

 

 

 

_“Please, don’t forget me,” A familiar figure cried out to him. “Mark, please!”_

_Mark tried to reach out for the stranger that called to him, only for the figure to disappear among the crowd._

He wakes up crying. Feelings of hollowness and regret filled him inside. Mark blindly reached for his phone by the bedside and clicked on his notes, a habit he has been doing for a couple of months now.

_You have a date with Jaemin today!!!_

_Wear your best casual clothes and don’t overthink your actions, you idiot._

_.._

_Thank me with more cakes next time. ^^_

“I am not an idiot,” Mark huffed, kicking his blankets to the side.

His sounds of breathing and the wind blowing outside could be heard. He was deep in thought, getting into terms with the mix of emotions he was going through reading the memo.

_But what about Donghyuck?_ He sighed into his pillow.

Until he saw the time on his phone and uttered a sound similar to ‘ _damn it!_ ’ before shooting up from his bed, rushing into the bathroom.

 

 

“ _Even the blind can see that you like someone else. I wish you well on confessing to them.”_

Here he was, post-dumped by the riverside. After Jaemin pecked him on his cheek letting him know he enjoyed their date, he left him but not before having a heart-to-heart conversation.

“ _Are you alright?” Mark turned to Jaemin._

_“Yeah, what makes you say I’m not?” Jaemin shrugged his shoulders._

_“Maybe since you’ve been staring at your phone for the nth time this hour?” Just as he was saying, Mark caught himself glancing at his phone, making Jaemin light up in victory._

_“See, I told you.” He poked Mark’s side and the latter just looked away in guilt._

_Jaemin grabbed Mark’s hands, and they were warm, but Donghyuck’s eyes flashed into his mind while looking into Jaemin’s._

_“I had fun, thank you for doing this.”_

_“I’m sorry.”_

_Jaemin smiled in understanding. “Let me meet them then I’ll consider your apology.”_

Thinking back throughout the scene, Mark subconsciously gripped his phone into his hands.

Though calling Donghyuck’s number didn’t work, he never stopped trying.

Because trying was the only thing he could do at the moment.

 

 

 

✫彡

They woke up to the mornings they were most familiar with. Not knowing that was the last through the other’s eyes.

 

But without needing the skies to grant their wishes, they somehow manage to find each other. Fate comes in various of forms, and in which theirs was a red knot.

 

 

 

They stood there for moments, facing each other while catching their breath. Both were astonished by the other’s presence.

“It’s you. It’s really you.” Relief was apparent in Donghyuck’s tone. Mark looked directly into the younger’s eyes.

_Strange_ , that was the perfect word to describe his emotions seeing Donghyuck right before his eyes, not as a reflection from the mirror.

“Wh-What are you doing?” Donghyuck exclaimed causing Mark to snap out of his thoughts. Mark was reaching out to touch Donghyuck’s cheek.

“It’s not what you think!” He defended himself.

The younger wrapped his arms around himself. “You haven’t done anything weird with my body, right?” He squints his eyes suspiciously at Mark. Donghyuck recalls the mornings he would wake up where Jisung would go ‘ _Oh, you’re not caressing yourself this morning?_ ’

“Please tell me we’re not doing this right now.”

Silence.

“So you did do something.” Donghyuck gasped scandalously.

“I’m not even going to say anything.”

Mark cleared his throat, looking at anywhere but the boy in front of him. He held out his hand.

“I’m Mark.” He smiled bashfully.  

It felt like forever until Donghyuck finally held his hand and shaking it.

“Lee Donghyuck.”

They stayed like that, indulging in the presence of each other’s touch, the cold air surrounding them magnified the warmth.

An idea came into Mark’s head causing him to abruptly let go. “You know, before anything happens,” he reached inside the pocket of his jacket. “we should write down our names.”

Before Donghyuck could even react, Mark already reached for his hand and started writing on his palm.

“That tickles,” the brunet giggled, making a small smile appear right on Mark’s face. He handed over the marker to Donghyuck.

When it was the younger’s time to write, his pen stopped moving on Mark’s palm, the latter confused as to why he did.

“You know,” Donghyuck murmured.

Mark looked up from their hands only to see the younger with tears pooling in his eyes.

“You made me so, so happy.”

Donghyuck smiled. It was the brightest that Mark has ever seen from him, yet there was pain underneath it. But he didn’t pay any attention to it.

Because Donghyuck, no matter how many flaws he possessed, has always been beautiful to him.

Mark held Donghyuck with his free hand, before muttering ‘me too,’ eyes looking into the brunet’s teary ones.

Grinning, Donghyuck bent down to resume writing on Mark’s palm saying that he wanted to put his name as pretty as he could.

Mark laughed at this. _Why does have to make everything as pretty as him?_

“You’re _so_ slow.”

_Thud,_ he heard something fall on the ground.

He sucked in a breath.

_No._

He flinched at the loss of contact. Mark must’ve heard wrong. That wasn’t the pen that he was holding; the pen Donghyuck was writing with.

It wasn’t until the wind blew by him that got him moving from his place, crouching to pick up the fallen pen.

“It’s alright. I remember you. Your name is Donghyuck. Donghyuck. Donghyuck.” He frantically chanted to himself, holding the marker between his fingers tight.

Mark looked up into the sky, his voice raising. “ Your name is—” he paused. “Your name...” He felt his hands beginning to tremble in fear.

_Please._

Filled with pinks, yellows, and oranges minutes before, shades and hues of dark blue took over the skies, with the moon greeting his sight.

“What’s your name?” No one answered him but the passing breeze. He heaved until tears started pooling in his eyes.

“I came to see him.” _Who is he?_

“Someone very dear to me,” he started screaming out of frustration. _Who is he?_

His legs gave out, his breathing could be heard along with the calm waves of the river. “I have to remember!” _who—_

“—are you?” Mark’s voice cracked.

The chilly night air accompanied his sobs of despair under the lonely moon and the stars he once wished upon.

 

 

 

✫彡

He slept that night, cradling his hands close to his chest. Donghyuck didn’t know why, or maybe he forgot, but the scribbled words on his palm made him feel at peace.

 

_‘I love you.’_

 

 

 

Mark was putting his stamina to the test, dancing his all during the practice. Clothes wet from sweating, he didn’t stop until Jeno, his fellow trainee, paused the music from the speakers and grabbed him by the arm.

“Dude, you should rest before you could seriously injure yourself.”

Mark faced him with an empty expression, breathing heavily from dancing too much. Jeno pulled him along to sit on the side and handed him over a towel and a bottle of water.

They rested for a couple of minutes up until Jeno heard the older sigh.

He looked over to see Mark with his head leaning on the wall behind him, looking defeated.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Jeno softly jabbed him with his bottle. Mark shifted his direction towards him.

“If,” he began fiddling with the towel he was holding, “If you like someone, and you’re setting him up on a date with the other person that he likes, will you still do it?”

Mark swore he heard Jeno hold his breath. “I mean…” Jeno straightened his posture and face him.

“If setting him up on a date with his crush makes him happy, regardless of how I felt about him, because hypothetically speaking, seeing them happy would also make me happy, no?” Mark nodded and gave Jeno a tired smile.

“Thanks, it’s exactly what I need to hear.”

Jeno patted his shoulder and stood up, deeming it was a good time to go back to practice. He held his hand out to Mark. “You comin’?” Mark shook his head.

“I have to do something first,”

He got his phone out of his training bag. Once he opened it, he started typing.

_You have a date with Jaemin today!!!_

..

 

 

 

★━━─

 

“Hey.” a voice called out; the sweetest melody in Mark’s ears next to his compositions he write late at night.

“Yeah?” Mark looked into the eyes of the younger beside him; they were full of stars he would never get tired of getting lost in.

“Remember when we first saw each other?”

_I can’t believe we’re talking about this right before we ride the train,_ Mark internally (but affectionately) sighed.

He shook his head to answer him and the chestnut-haired man lightly pushed him, chuckling.

“Of course, I do,” Mark rolled his eyes. “Why would I forget meeting _you_?”

“Now you’re just playing with me.” Donghyuck looked away with tinges of pink on his cheeks.

Mark moved closer to him and reached for his hand, holding it in his.

“I felt as if I’ve been missing you for a long time, and when I saw you looking at me, I felt,” he paused, going through his mind to look for a perfect word to describe his emotions.

“... home.”

The younger gaped at him. “I… felt that too. As though we already knew each other, which is pretty weird because we were both sure we didn’t.”

Mark intertwined their fingers together, causing Donghyuck to gaze down their hands.

“You know,” Donghyuck looked up from their hands to meet Mark’s smiling eyes.

“You make me so, so happy.”

Donghyuck hummed thoughtfully, having the urge to retort Mark’s statement.

“But what if one day, I forget you? Will I still be able to make you happy? Would I, huh?” he bit back his grin.

Mark didn’t answer, nor speak for minutes that felt like a century to Donghyuck, worrying that he scared his significant other.

He was about to tell him to ignore what he said, until Mark spoke up in a confident tone.

“Then I’ll remind you."

“You shouldn’t take what I said serio _—_ wait, what?”

“I will remind you every single time you forget, how important you are to me. I’ll tell you which qualities of mine you like the best, and the worse. I’ll tell you stories of when I was young and naive, the times when I haven’t known you,”

He squeezed Donghyuck’s hand before continuing.

“ _—_ and your greatest, your worst, and everything else about you. I’ll remind you of how these made me love you more than I did the day before.”

Speechless, they settled into comfortable silence with the distant buzz of cables running in the background, noticing how the train they were supposed to be on just passed by as Mark had his speech.

“You made us miss our train.” Donghyuck softly spoke. Mark laughed seeing the pout on the younger’s face.

The thought of staying by his side for the following months, years, decades, overwhelmed Mark. He never believed in fate, but neither did he dislike the concept of it.

If fate was being with Donghyuck, let alone know the man, then he was eternally grateful for it.

“We can always catch the next one.”

 

* * *

 

_They stood still, looking at each other, breathless as if they ran for miles and miles._

_“You!” Donghyuck choked out._

_Mark let out a breathy laughter, wiping away the tears that fell on his cheeks._

_“You..”_

_Above the tears they shed and the smiles they shared…_

_… was the tinkling sounds of a bell._

**Author's Note:**

> and yes, aged-down johnil.
> 
>  
> 
> [ twitter ](https://twitter.com/mitokundria)


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